As the year draws to a close, it always feels fitting to reflect on the year gone by. The Storymakers Creative Writing Club has grown from humble beginnings in 2017, to a fully established club, with a wonderful community. The last twelve months have been amazing. In...
I have been helping people improve their writing for a long time. Using words is a powerful way to communicate, and businesses understand that. We may live in a digital world, but we can’t ignore the need to reach out to customers, to stand out from the competition...
Did you ever have a pen pal? Did you regularly write letters to friends? Recently, I shared a picture on Instagram of a box of old letters I’d kept, dating back to my early teens. I remarked on how this box of letters is my teenage life, catalogued. It is my email...
In a recent survey, the National Literacy Trust looked at the relationship between attitudes towards reading and writing and mental wellbeing amongst children. The results suggest children who have a more positive experience with regards to reading and writing are...
If you have a child who finds writing difficult and doesn’t enjoy it, have you considered whether it is the physical act of writing that is holding them back, rather than a disinterest in doing it? The physical requirements for writing are extensive and may surprise...
This month, Time School went on a blog tour. With a mix of interviews and reviews, thirteen book bloggers shared their thoughts and helped promote my new book during launch month. The response was amazing. Here are just a few quotes: "This would be a lovely read for...
I’ve been reading a few blog posts recently about how to survive the summer holidays when you’re a work-at-home mum, how to keep your little ones occupied etc. and I realised I am at an awkward age with my three. At 9, 11 and 14 they don’t want to go to kids clubs...
The Summer Reading Challenge for 2018 is called Mischief Makers in honour of the much-loved children's title Beano, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. Children will follow clues and explore a map of Beanotown to find the mysterious buried treasure, with...
Storymakers is a creative writing club for kids. UPDATE: THE CREATIVE WRITING SUMMER WORKSHOPS HAVE NOW FINISHED. FOR DETAILS OF WEEKLY GROUPS FROM SEPTEMBER, PLEASE GO TO THE STORYMKAKERS WEBSITE: http://www/storymakersclub.com In addition to weekly groups, we offer...
Every year the National Literacy Trust conducts a survey among children and young people to gauge their interest and enjoyment in writing outside of school. The 2017/18 survey interviewed 47,786 UK school children aged 8-18 years, asking them questions about how often...
This week, the Young Writers looked at story openers. We examined different ways to open a story, to see which worked best for the story ideas they're currently working on. The group is currently writing stories aimed at young readers who have just moved on to...
‘Time School: We Will Remember Them’ is book one of a series of four and is available to pre-order now. "A power cut and a series of mini disasters means friends, Jess, Nadia, Tomma and Ash barely make it to the station to catch their train to school. What they...
On 25th May 2018, the Data Protection Directive will be replaced by the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although the UK is in the midst of BREXIT, these regulations are likely to be converted into British law and with that in mind, organisations need...
Research by the National Literacy Trust examines attitudes towards writing among children and young adults. Much has been done in terms of studying the importance of wider reading for enjoyment and its connection to reading ability, but what about writing? The...
Many of the children who come to my creative writing club start out as reluctant writers. They have absolutely no problem talking, funnily enough, and that’s fine if they’re sharing ideas. But when it comes to actually writing these ideas down, it’s often a different...
Most children love stories and they all have amazing imaginations. With a little support and guidance, they can become a confident writer too. It goes without saying that if you want to improve at something, first you have to practice. The more you practice, the...
As it's Mother's Day soon (11th March in the UK), I've compiled a list of gifts that would be perfect for mums who love reading and writing. I'm not hinting at all, promise! Coffee and book club subscription I've seen a number of these. You can choose from book plus...
A snow day is the perfect excuse to stay indoors and catch up on some writing. Having a snow day, it seems, is no excuse for not doing any work and my middle daughter's school gave her enough to do to last at least a week (not sure how long they think they'll be...
One of my groups at the Storymakers Club is the Young Writers. They are aged eleven or above and get together once a fortnight for some writing practice and to work on their current project. It's a great little social group too. This week I used music as a writing...
Today marks the start of #NationalStoryTellingWeek and in honour of this, I’m sharing my book recommendation for February and asking the question, do you still read with your children? I’m not talking the dreaded book scheme reading, that from my own personal...